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Sean Taylor "Clinging To Life"

Richard Sharpstein, who has represented Sean Taylor in legal matters in the past and is a friend of the family, said moments ago that the player's life is hanging in the balance in the hospital. Sharpstein, speaking from the hospital, said Taylor is "nonresponsive and unconscious" and the doctors are "worried about a possible brain injury or death."

Sharpstein, who has been with Taylor's family at the hospital much of the day, said that there are major worries that Taylor may have lost oxygen to the brain, and that no other procedures are planned for right now. "They're waiting to see if he comes to," Sharpstein said. He was shot in the groin/thigh area near the femoral artery and lost copious amounts of blood. The intruders then retreated and Sean was airlifted to the trauma center and endured several hours of surgery, Sharpstein said.

Taylor is in intensive care, Sharpstein said, and his girlfriend and child were not injured in the attack. Sharpstein said Taylor was sleeping when he heard a noise in the living room. The intruder or intruders were at his bedroom and Taylor reached for a machete or other form of knife he keeps nearby in case of emergency, and two shots were fired, with one striking his leg.

"Right now he's clinging to life and we're all praying he makes it," Sharpstein said.

Sharpstein said there have been numerous break ins, or break in attempts, on Taylor's house in recent weeks.

My deepest thoughts and prayers are going out to Sean, his family, friends, teammates, and all fans of the burgundy and gold. The guy is a baller and although he may have made some mistakes earlier in his career all indications were that he had turned the corner. And now a child may lose his father. This is just a tragic, tragic day to be a 'Skins fan. Let's all hope and pray that this story has a happy ending.

Re: Wilbon, even before his comments earlier today, his reporting and writing has been lazy and ignorant. He's obviously at the point in his career where he's become irrelevant and no longer insightful and has to resort to being loud and angry. I even find him less tolerable than Stephen A. Smith. I wish the Post would rid themselves of this dead wood and promote from within or hire accomplished writers such as Mike Wise.

I mean no disrespect when I say this, but I have a question for all of you who say that you are praying for him. How many of you are praying for the thousands of people who are seriously ill or suffered serious injuries today, but who happen not to be famous football players? I don't wish ill of Sean Taylor, but this practice of praying for someone just because he's famous is a bit much.

Season and next weekend game thoughts are gone replaced with only a sincere get well wish, pull through please and a large prayer to "our father who art in heaven" for Sean and his family right now. Positive vibes have me imagining Sean on crutches on the sideline of the Dallas home game waving to the standing ovation at Fedex field Sunday Dec 30th.

McLean, Va.: Will your opinion of Taylor change if this does not turn out to be a random incident (e.g. home invasion)?

Michael Wilbon: No...People's opinions are shaped by the way they've grown up, the way they see the world, what they know about the world the person in question grew up in, etc. Sean Taylor isn't the only guy I know who fits his general profile. I've known guys like Taylor all my life, grew up with some. They still have shades of gray and shouldn't be painted in black and white...I know how I feel about Taylor, and this latest news isn't surprising in the least, not to me. Whether this incident is or isn't random, Taylor grew up in a violent world, embraced it, claimed it, loved to run in it and refused to divorce himself from it. He ain't the first and won't be the last. We have no idea what happened, or if what we know now will be revised later. It's sad, yes, but hardly surprising.

Columbia, Md.: What makes you think that Taylor was still embracing his old ways? Every thing we have heard from the Redskins and Portis is that this is a new Sean. Apparently the birth of his child really helped to straighten him out. Is this contrary to what you know?

Michael Wilbon: Sorry, but I'n not in the habit of having comapanies with their own public relations agenda tell me about black men and what they feel or don't feel. Pardon me if I'm not that easy.

frankflinstone i think that he is special to alot of people where as they others aren't. It's not a question of being more deserveing, its of concern, the fact that Sean has brought so many people so much joy. That's why we care.

Although I sincerely appreciate your interests in my personal life, my prayers are exactly that MINE! Therefore, you can take you inquiring mind elsewhere for answers. Maybe you should pray for answers from above. Do as you wish, but please refrain from criticising one's righteousness.

frankflinstone,
I see your point, but the difference for me is that I have followed this guy for about 7 years now (I'm a Canes and Skins fan). As fans we all feel that we know Sean to an extent because we have rooted and cheered him on for so long. A famous athlete does not deserve prayers anymore than a regular joe, but as a fan you can't help but become emotionally invested in your favorite players. Anyway, I just hope that Sean pulls through this.

People are praying for Sean because we are aware of his situation. If they're aware of the situations of "thousands of people who are seriously ill or suffered serious injuries today" I am sure they'll pray for those people also.

When Cindy told us about her friend that has cancer there were many of us praying for her. When 4th lost his little girl many of us sent out thoughts and prayers. When I lost my dear and close friend there were many prayers and thoughts. Maybe you need to look at yourself and ask the question.

the reason people are praying for sean and not the "thousands of people" who are sick is because is not only a professional football player subjected to dissection by media and fans, but a role model to many. obviously people are going to have strong feelings Sean and some choose to pray to deal with their emotions. he is a part of many people's lives, as are other famous people, and my guess is that the people who say they are praying for him are people who have followed him and his team, have been inspired by him, and respect his game on the field.

its not his fame that gets us to pray for him. he has directly affected the lives of all redskins fans, and personally has brought me such joy just being able to watch him play and develop each sunday. make no mistake about it, there is a personal connection between each one of these fans and ST.

I am currently studying to become a Minister. For whatever that is worth, in my experience, it generally takes some type of personal connection to encourage us (myself included) to pray for others specifically. Sure, we may offer generally prayers for "the troops" or something like that, but to specifically pray for a person, we generally have to know that person (or know of the person, as is the case with Sean Taylor - afterall, most, if not all of us don't know him personally).

That being said, maybe your comment is correct - but maybe not for the reason you think. Personally, I think that we should all offer up a prayer or 6 for ST and his family. But maybe you are right and the problem is that we don't pray for OTHERS as much as we should (not that we are praying for ST too much)....If we change that then maybe some very small amount of good can come from this horrible act of violence.

"I just read the Wilbon Chat House transcript and lost respect for him. I usually like his reporting and columns but he seemed very indifferent.

I hate when reporters take their personal feelings about certain players and color everything they write about them based on those feelings.

I'm no idiot, I know that's what columnists are supposed to do. But when someone is fighting for their life, some compassion would be appropriate and appreciated."

This was someone else's post, but I couldn't agree more. Wilbon's Chat House today put a real bad taste in my mouth, and I think there will be a backlash from people to come. I found his dialogue today to be quite nonchalant and lacking in objectivity. How about someone ask him this: How well do you know Sean Taylor? Do we have Dr. Phil working at the Post now? I've followed Wilbon for a while, and I was not happy with his comments. I understood his general premise: You can take the man outta the hood, but not the hood outta the man. Unfortunately, it is that type of ignorant thinking that shackles American society from allowing people to get away from their pasts - outsiders who are 'so much better' looking down upon those with somewhat of a shady history. Count that as -1 Wilbon fan.

I mean no disrespect when I say this, but I have a question for all of you who say that you are praying for him. How many of you are praying for the thousands of people who are seriously ill or suffered serious injuries today, but who happen not to be famous football players? I don't wish ill of Sean Taylor, but this practice of praying for someone just because he's famous is a bit much.

Posted by: frankflinstone | November 26, 2007 03:36 PM

_____________________________

FrankFlinstone,

Please understand that I am not trying to drop a bomb on you or anything and I am not upset with your comment but will try to explain the feelings of those (including myself) who are offering prayer for Sean Taylor.

A person offers prayer for those whom they know and feel a kinship for. As he comes into our homes 16 times a year, he "feels" like family to his fans. This is undeniably because he is "famous".

If Sean Taylor were not a Redskin would I be offering prayer for him. Probably not. Do I offer prayer for "the unammed" injured, poor, maimed, etc. Not often, but I do (although not in public). But what does it matter if I do or not?

If you feel the need to pray for the unkown others who have no one else, then pray for them and God bless you for doing that.

But right now I feel as if a close friend has been hurt; and is now also being spitefuly marred due to his past.

Let those who want to pray pray how they feel led and stop worrying about how you think they should pray.

Wilbon is entitled to his opinion just as much as you knuckleheads are, so give it a rest. His job is not to be a homer. Also, Wise already works for WaPo.

With regard to The Reaper's injury, I am amazed that he is still alive if the femoral artery was indeed hit since you can bleed out in just a few minutes from that type of injury. Even if the paramedics were on scene quickly the amount of blood loss would potentially cause cardiac and neurological problems since his blood volume was so low. If this was a high caliber weapon it may have also done a lot of damage to the bone (femur) which could lead to Taylor losing his leg if he ends up surviving.

I somewhat understand where Wilbon is coming from. Would anyone be suprised if Michael Irvin was busted for drugs again despite reports of his reformed lifestyle? Of course not. I don't mean to imply that this was Taylor's fault; however, I am not shocked that this has happened. I wish him the best.

"I just read the Wilbon Chat House transcript and lost respect for him. I usually like his reporting and columns but he seemed very indifferent.

I hate when reporters take their personal feelings about certain players and color everything they write about them based on those feelings.

I'm no idiot, I know that's what columnists are supposed to do. But when someone is fighting for their life, some compassion would be appropriate and appreciated."

This was someone else's post, but I couldn't agree more. Wilbon's Chat House today put a real bad taste in my mouth, and I think there will be a backlash from people to come. I found his dialogue today to be quite nonchalant and lacking in objectivity. How about someone ask him this: How well do you know Sean Taylor? Do we have Dr. Phil working at the Post now? I've followed Wilbon for a while, and I was not happy with his comments. I understood his general premise: You can take the man outta the hood, but not the hood outta the man. Unfortunately, it is that type of ignorant thinking that shackles American society from allowing people to get away from their pasts - outsiders who are 'so much better' looking down upon those with somewhat of a shady history. Count that as -1 Wilbon fan.

I asked a question on Cindy's chat about Wilbon's remarks too. She didn't answer it, as she didn't answer the question raised at the end of her chat either.

I believe that the fact that she selects the questions to be answered yet did NOT stand up for Wilbon when she had the opportunity, signifies that she doesn't agree with him on that. I also think she's too astute to ever openly state that though.

To those who are disappointed in the comments that Michael Wilbon made about Sean Taylor in his chat today - and include me in that group - I suggest that you send him an email directly here at the Post. I did.

With the latest news from Florida, we need to all start thinking about the quality of life Sean will have should he survive, and what he would want. His family is probably facing that right now, and my prayers are for them.

This is truly devastating. Here I wake up this morning still upset over a loss and something like this happens. I guess I need to get my priorities straight in life. Who cares about football. The only thing I can think of right now is for Sean to be able to pull through not for football but for his family. He is a young man who has a full life ahead of him.

I was kind of thinking the same thing just a few minutes ago before I read that post. I have to admit I hear about these all the time and I always have the "well thats too bad, nope it works out" mentality.

This does feel more like a family thing, even though I have never met him just based on the fact that he makes a living making me happy whether he knows it or not.

Football is for the fans so when one goes down, especially the way he did, it feels different; although Im not sure if it should.

Let us stay optimistic for Sean's recovery. We are just getting unofficial accounts of his condition. These reports are like the "fog of war." I prefer to keep faith in his full recovery. He's strong and there are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of Burgunbdy and Gold pulling for him.

As a still recovering Hokie (4/16/07) and a lifelong Redskins fan, my heart is yet again breaking due to gun violence. My heart and prayers go to the Taylor family, Redskins organazation, and all Redskins fans. Hang on Sean, Hang on.

This is a very emotional story that has transfixed the city. Good job at keeping us advised. Keep the details coming. Any shot to the femoral artery is extremely serious. One loses copious amounts of blood quickly. Do you know anything more about the timelines in this incident? Keep the details coming please.

So there have been numerous break-in attempts at Taylor's home in recent weeks? What is going on here? Something is just not right about this whole situation. What happened last night wasn't a random assault.

Sean, we are pulling for you here in DC. If you make it through, we can only hope that you'll move your family up here and out that Miami cesspool. Whether Taylor's assailants knew him or not, something is seriously amiss down in Florida.

I hate to admit it, but I do agree. Maybe a miracle will happen, but the news from the Dr's fearing for his brain condition and possible passing is extremely frightening. If he does come out of this let's hope he can still live a healthy life and be a good father and husband...

SEAN TAYLOR HAS AN UNCOUNTABLE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE PULLING FOR HIM. WE AS REDSKIN FANS ARE PART OF A BIG AS* FAMILY AND A MEMBER OF THAT FAMILY HAS BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED. FOR US RIGHT NOW WE ARE NOT THINKG ABOUT A PULLED MUSCLE OR SPRAINED WHATEVER AND IF WE WILL WIN THE NEXT GAME WE ARE THINKING ABOUT THE LIFE OF ONE OF OUR FAMILY MEMBERS. ALL THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS NEED TO STOP SKINS FAN OR NOT SEAN IS STILL PART OF THE NFL FAMILY AND ALWAYS WILL BE..

Just so you know, I do pray regularly for people I do not know. They include the troops in Iraq, Bangladeshi cyclone victims, little children who have been abducted or harmed by parents, among others. When I drive by a car accident on the highway I pray for those involved, and sometimes I'll pray for whoever is in the ambulance that passed my by.

It has nothing to do with Sean Taylor being famous. Yes, I am a Redskins fan and I have appreciated his talent on the field. So perhaps I feel some connection even though I've never met the man.

He is a father of a young child, and he has been severely injured, so yes I'm praying for him. I don't feel guilty about it, I don't feel it's "a bit much".

Can't you just appreciate that people are praying for SOMEBODY? Perhaps you could pray for some of these unknown people as well as those you feel who's prayers are misdirected.

McLean, Va.: Will your opinion of Taylor change if this does not turn out to be a random incident (e.g. home invasion)?

Michael Wilbon: No...People's opinions are shaped by the way they've grown up, the way they see the world, what they know about the world the person in question grew up in, etc. Sean Taylor isn't the only guy I know who fits his general profile. I've known guys like Taylor all my life, grew up with some. They still have shades of gray and shouldn't be painted in black and white...I know how I feel about Taylor, and this latest news isn't surprising in the least, not to me. Whether this incident is or isn't random, Taylor grew up in a violent world, embraced it, claimed it, loved to run in it and refused to divorce himself from it. He ain't the first and won't be the last. We have no idea what happened, or if what we know now will be revised later. It's sad, yes, but hardly surprising.

Prayers for Sean and his family. If someone can survive this wound, he can. This is such devastating news. I keep thinking of his child.

As for Wilbon, I can't say I'm surprised in the least by his comments. Regardless of Sean's past or his maturation, how can anyone say something so insensitive as Sean's life hangs in the balance. His words are an insult to Sean and his family.

Hopefully ST can recover from this terrible incident and go on to live a healthy and prosperous life with or without football. To all the criticizers out there, it's easy to judge when you don't know squat and haven't been through squat in your lives. Wilbon should of saved his remarks until AFTER he knew the situation. It's easy for a pencil neck geek like that to assume things he obviously knows nothing about. And as far as him keeping a weapon near his bed, I do the same thing, yet I'm not a thug by any means.

Wilbon's comments gave me pause as well. He needs to stop making his readers feel small, and himself seem so righteous, and so above it all. He's the only sports blog/columnist who distances himself from his readers. P.S. - I'm a white man, so don't tell ME what a white man feels.

jlpowell77, ostinato, james.harwell: good, thoughtful responses to frankflinstones' comment. I've always been on the "saying a prayer for a specific person because he/she is famous/well-known whilst overlooking those thousands who are afflicted everyday by a multitude of tragedies is a skewed mindset" wagon. But, what you guys have suggested is definitely food for thought. Thanks.

Jessie--RI seems to be leading the info for updates. ESPN News just had a "breaking update" and pretty much read word for word the first 3 paragraphs of this post. They cited "the WP" for the info. They also said the family has requested that no more information be released so I fear it may be a while (or a tragice event) before we get a factual update of Sean's condition.

Lindsey Czarniak from NBC4 just reported from Redskins Park that the players are devastated. NBC showed a number of players leaving the Park with a Skins PR person so they would not have to speak to the media.

Jeez, Wilbon is sounding one step shy of "Uncle Ruckus" as far as his opinion on this case. He wasn't even that rude to Tank Johnson, who was much more punkish and never got into any serious, life-threatening problems. Firing Wilbon isn't quite enough, you gotta bring the full force of Rainbow PUSH or whoever watchdogs ignorant statements like his that seem to indicate that black youths from troubled backgrounds can't ever escape them. Just because some Miami punk holds an ill-conceived grudge, or else is just trying to steal, doesn't mean that ST was troubling his house nor does it mean he somehow deserved to inherit this kind of wind. Wilbon needs to get a little of the Imus treatment... or else he needs to man up and try taking that opinion to the parking lot of Fed Ex field pre-game.

It was my understanding that prayer is an individual act, between a person and his God. I don't understand how one person can be so sanctimonious and judgemental as to question what another is praying for, and why he's praying for it.

btw, I find Wilbon's Blame the Victim attitude disgusting. I hope this sub-story eventually gets the publicity it deserves and that Wilbon's comments don't just slip by unnoticed due to the much more important story of the day. I know a lot of people will have changed opinions of the guy after reading what he wrote--I know I do

It's about Wilbons' comments: ".... tell me about black men and what they feel or don't feel."

It makes absolutely no sense. Even if Sean Taylor liked his old violent life (as Wilbon is implying), does it mean he still lives that life? Or if he had a violent life it doesn't mean he can't or didn't change.

Honestly, I never liked Wilbon and now I lost my respect for that man.

McLean, Va.: Will your opinion of Taylor change if this does not turn out to be a random incident (e.g. home invasion)?

Michael Wilbon: No...People's opinions are shaped by the way they've grown up, the way they see the world, what they know about the world the person in question grew up in, etc. Sean Taylor isn't the only guy I know who fits his general profile. I've known guys like Taylor all my life, grew up with some. They still have shades of gray and shouldn't be painted in black and white...I know how I feel about Taylor, and this latest news isn't surprising in the least, not to me. Whether this incident is or isn't random, Taylor grew up in a violent world, embraced it, claimed it, loved to run in it and refused to divorce himself from it. He ain't the first and won't be the last. We have no idea what happened, or if what we know now will be revised later. It's sad, yes, but hardly surprising.

----------------

FU Wilbone!!!!!!

Posted by: NCICURN | November 26, 2007 04:04 PM

Sorry guys, but I understand exactly what Wilbon is saying and I do not see anything wrong with it. I would imagine that he knows Taylor better than any of us and can draw an opinion of Taylor better than any of us.

Wilbon states that this is a sad situation - I agree that it is. He also states that it is not surprising. Given the ATV incident two years ago, it is not a reach when someone says that another shooting is not surprising.

I have no reason not to trust Wilbon when he says that Sean Taylor has not removed himself from the thug world. In fact, we here at RI have somewhat embraced this attitude with the copious Reaper references. Getting mad at Wilbon for his statements just seems like misdirected anger.

Even if you think his statements are poorly timed, remember that he was just honestly answering a question that was posed to him. I admire his honesty and his matter of factness.

I am not a Wilbon fan but he didn't say anything wrong. He may not have said it with as much sensitivity as apparently many of you would like but he only expressed his opinion (which is colored by his personal feelings about Taylor). Isn't he entitled to do that? Why do people here get so bent out of shape when someone says something with which they don't agree?

The last chapter hasn't been written on this yet. Don't be so quick to accept that this was simply a home invasion.

DON'T BE SO QUICK TO ASSUME ANYTHING. WE DON'T KNOW SEAN PERSONALLY WE ONLY KNOW WHAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD THAT HASN'T PROVEN TO BE TRUE. RIGHT NOW ALL ANYONE NEEDS TO DO IS TO WISH THE BEST FOR SEAN AND HIS FAMILY.
EVERYONE NEEDS TO LET THIS WILBON STUFF GO FOR NOW. EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO THEIR OPINION AND WHILE I DO NOT AGREE WITH HIM AT ALL I DO THINK THAT WE NEED TO WORRY ABOUT SEAN RIGHT NOW.
P.S I AM NOT DEFENDING WILBON OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT I AGREE WITH MOST OF THE COMMENTS MADE ABOUT HIS "UNTIMELY, RUDE ETX" COMMENTS

You can bet your bottom dollar that Sean's dad (Chief of Police) down there will stop at nothing to hunt down the cowards who did this. They'll be lucky not to get the death sentence and you can bet anything that they will be caught.

I think Wilbon deserves a break on his comments today. Maybe he could have said things more diplomatically, or maybe he should have passed on the comments entirely given that Taylor is apparently clinging to life. But what is it that is so horrible about what he said?

Wilbon basically said he's not surprised something bad happened to Taylor. Given what I have read about Taylor's past, I'm not terribly surprised either. Saddened? Absolutely. But if someone told me a member of the Redskins was going to be the victim of a shooting, Taylor would be pretty darn close to the top of the list of my guesses.

He also said he's not convinced Taylor changed his ways. Fair enough if you ask me. He's been closer to people (athletes and non-athletes) with similar histories than I, and I'm betting closer than most of the people reading this blog.

Wilbon didn't say Taylor hasn't changed his ways, just that he's not going to take the Redskins word for it. I think we're all wise enough to know of circumstances where a person has portrayed to one circle of people a changed life, but has in fact maintained that lifestyle with a different circule.

I think Wilbon's comments certainly came across more harshly than appropriate given the circumstances. But he's successful because he is somewhat argumentative, and because he's willing to put his thoughts out there to stir thoughts in others. Let's try to avoid focusing our own pain over Taylor on Wilbon, and instead focus it on praying for Taylor's recovery and the capture and punishment of the people who did this.

I am more irritated with Wilbon's 2nd answer. I asked him to explain his thoughts on Taylor especially since Samuels, Portis, and others had been praising him all year and all he does is pull the race card. "Sorry, but I'n not in the habit of having comapanies with their own public relations agenda tell me about black men and what they feel or don't feel. Pardon me if I'm not that easy."

Wilbon's lack of sensitivity in this case is unacceptable. He should keep his mouth shut until all of the facts are known. Won't he look like a j@ck@$$ if Sean doesn't pull through and it was a home invasion?

If that turns out to be the case, Wilbon belongs with Marge Schott and Don Imus.

Treat this as a rumor if you like, but I have a friend who is a resident at the Hospital that Taylor is being treated and apparently Taylor was also shot somewhere in the chest. From what my doctor friend can gather from the OR Doctors, Taylor took 50 units of blood during his surgery. When I asked if that was a lot of blood to take, my firend said that during unusually bloody procedures, the patients take only about 6-7 units of blood. The unspoken opinion in the hospital is that he won't survive. I hope they're wrong and hate to think about anyone's life being cut short, but it's unlikely.

Hope Sean pulls through this, and anybody who says a man can't change his ways is full of crap. I hope he pulls through this for his family, especially his daughter. I don't know the man personally, but those guys in the locker room probably know him better than anybody else outside his family. And when they say the man has changed for the better, I believe them.

you guys know i had boycotted 980 but today i went back to them and to hear big john talk about this was so appropriate. if anyone has the right to say anything about troubled black youth in this city, coast, country. it is him.

i can't do this...gotta stay positive and can't sink to wilbon's level. not today.

NCICURN, I don't see Wilbon saying that people can't change or leave their past behind. During the chat, he sites Zeke as an example of someone that has done this.

Wilbon is saying that he does not believe that Taylor ever divorced himself from the thug world so he is not surprised by the shooting. Again, Wilbon would have more insight into Taylor than any of us.

If Wilbon said or even intimated that Taylor deserved to be shot, I would have a problem. I do not read the transcript that way.

Treat this as a rumor if you like, but I have a friend who is a resident at the Hospital that Taylor is being treated and apparently Taylor was also shot somewhere in the chest. From what my doctor friend can gather from the OR Doctors, Taylor took 50 units of blood during his surgery. When I asked if that was a lot of blood to take, my firend said that during unusually bloody procedures, the patients take only about 6-7 units of blood. The unspoken opinion in the hospital is that he won't survive. I hope they're wrong and hate to think about anyone's life being cut short, but it's unlikely.

Posted by: Kaan56 | November 26, 2007 04:39 PM
I HOPE THERE IS NO TRUTH TO THIS AT ALL
50 UNITS OF BLOOD CAN'T BE GOOD FOR HIS BRAIN( THEY SAID EARLIER THEY WERE WORRIED ABOUT POSSIBLY BRAIN INJURY)

"Treat this as a rumor if you like, but I have a friend who is a resident . . . "

Not only is that a rumor, it's also a HIPPA violation that can result in up to a $100,000 fine for the hospital and your "friend". I suggest he retake the classes regarding federal patient privacy laws.

drischord DC said: "If you make it through, we can only hope that you'll move your family up here and out that Miami cesspool."

Hate to break it to you but according to the latest "safest cities" statistics Miami is 327 and D.C. is 353 so maybe you should ease down off your high-horse there.

And as for everyone who's so upset by Wilbon, he certainly never suggested that Taylor deserved to get shot, only that he's not surprised it happened. There's a world of difference here. It's like saying "I'm not surprised that Chad Johnson got fined by the NFL again."

Acutally, there's "guarded" and "grave" conditions that go beyond the "critical" label. Critical does not mean death w/in 24 hours; it means the patient is currently unstable and requiring many interventions to stabilize. One can be in "critical" condition for days/weeks.

For those of you critizing Wilbon for being a reporter who brings his personal feelings into a story, remember, Wilbon is not a reporter. He is a columnist and is paid to give an opinion. JLa is paid to report the facts, Wilbon, Wise, etc. are paid to give opinion. Disagree if you want, but his positions are well thought out, even if you may not agree with them.

Redcoat, I am assuming his home isn't exactly small and that Taylor's BR isn't next to the point of entry. It's hard to believe that a burglar or anyone intending to rob the place entered the home, walked through the house to the bedroom without knowing someone was home.

I'm sure the cops aren't telling the media everything they know because they don't want everyone privy to what only the perp should know. I'm interested to here news as the investigation continues.

You FUC**** pathetic retards This criminal who came from this lifestyle and continued with it was arrested for threatening people with GUNS(you & gibbs excused)Drunk driving (you & gibbs excused) Multiple fines from NFL for CHEAP HITS(you praised gibbs forgave)NO SIGNIFICANT CHARITIES to speak of with his millions, No respect for anyone but himself (you excuse gibbs ignores)He was a risk when gibbs drafted him and you get what you deserve!! Why dont you try praying for all the little kids murdered today?? turn on news and quit embarrasing yourselfs!! I will be selling usual amounts of kool-aide today!!

ACTUALLY BUDDY IF YOU READ THE REPORT ON MSNBC IT TALK ABOUT HOW HE WAS TRYING TO IMPROVE EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN MIAMI AND DONATING MONEY TO THE SCHOOL SYSYTEMS KNOW WTF YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH

Not to defend Wilbon (cause he didn't get shot) but he made a point of distinguishing between growing up in the hood (he references Isaiah Thomas) and trying to "keep it real" once you have made enough money to move out of the hood (Mike Vick is our poster boy here).

Until the brothers realize that there is NOTHING to be gained by running with your knucklehead boys from "back in the day" once you have made it, we will still have Mike Vicks and Sean Taylors...sorry to say.

when's the last time wilbon made a trip to Redskins Park? For that matter, when's the last time Wilbon has stepped foot in any team facility or locker room? He seems to be pertually in Arizona or on location for MNF. Wake up Washington Post and rid yourself of this washed up, self righteous, self promoter.

I don't know that what Michael Wilbon wrote is that wrong. He's not a reporter, he's a columnist which means that he gives opinion; he's not required to simply write unopinionated facts; his job is to write what he believes and let people make their own decisions about the facts. His job as a columnist is to write what he thinks, the way he sees it; he is supposed to give his opinion. And further, he was writing in a chat; again, not in a straight news article. He is not required, nor should he, nor should any of us, to change his view and "offer compassion" because of the circumstances. It would be wrong for Mr. Wilbon to write or say "Well, he's in a hurt right now, so let me say that he was always a great guy, a perfect role model, damned good person, but once he recovers I'll say some other things." Mr. Wilbon may have been nonchalant (to repeat what someone else wrote) but Mr. Taylor was not an unblemished athlete; he was a highly visible athlete who got in trouble repeatedly and was arrogant; that, essentially, is what Mr. Wilbon was saying. Did Mr. Taylor change? Did he become a less disruptive or troubled athlete? Maybe, perhaps. But, what Mr. Wilbon was saying essentially was that it would be one thing for Mr. Taylor to demonstrate his change of manner and demeanor; it's another thing for his spokesmen or Redskins spokesmen to try to get people to accept his change simply because they put out press releases and make statements (people on his payroll or on the payroll of people who pay Mr. Taylor) that he's changed. All that Mr. Wilbon was saying is that if the proof of the maturing process (as Joe Gibbs called it) is public relations people saying so, then that's not sufficient, and it's also that maturity changes do not come as easily as public relations people saying it happened.

As for the person who wrote about Mr. Wilbon's objectivity, "How about someone ask him this: How well do you know Sean Taylor? Do we have Dr. Phil working at the Post now?" Is everyone here objective or a Dr. Phil now fully accepting Mr. Taylor as having been a perfect person, a role model? It seems that there's been an overwhelming attitude of he's a great man; great individual; Mr. Wilbon simply said that Mr. Taylor wasn't before, that he didn't believe the "hood attitude" was gone (something many people here seem to think) and that while he felt compassion, his overall view of Mr. Taylor hasn't and wouldn't change because of the situation; it's hard to see what's wrong with that view.
Sorry, but I don't think Mr. Wilbon was out of line.

What a horrible, horrible day. As much as this sickens me and all of us, we can't lose sight that these senseless, ridiculous acts happen across the country every day to people and their families. Many of us (definitely me) live in our private cocoons of relative privilege that we sometimes forget things like this that some people deal with daily.

For what it's worth, I don't pray because Sean is or is not famous. I pray because I'm human and powerless and it's the only thing I know to do in situations such as this where something saddens me so much.

I hope Sean's family, both his blood relatives and his Redskins family, are able to come together and cope and, God forbid, grieve.

joe gibbs: "last weekend i excused sean to go back to miami because his house was burgalaized. he came back to ashburn on tuesday to receive treatment. he went back for thanksgiving and to get a second opinion from a doctor in miami/florida."

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You people need to refocus to what the issue is....it is NOT Mike Wilbon! Mike Wilbon is only stating something that is fact, and true to people born and raised in the "type" of communities, he, Mike Wilbon, is speaking of and he himself can relate to from ACTUAL true life experience. Sean Taylor's upbringing and who he was/is hangin' around after college, is what HAS NOT changed and Mike Wilbon is only stating facts about it. If the people you hang around DOESN'T change, then Yes, I am NOT surprised about anything more that is reported or happens to you. That right there people is what the real issue is....why Sean Taylor is still involved, from either side of crime" is a sad story in itself, BUT it is NOT huge news, BECAUSE Sean has a HISTORY of this type of stuff happening to him. Get off the boat on the Mike Wilbon stuff.

Sean Taylor, why tragic (not really known, not much has been reported, BUT a few facts), all our hearts and hope for the best, BUT, this is in gods hands now. I bleed "Burgendy and Gold" and selfishly I know if #21 was in there vs. the Cowboys and Eagles, this would not have happend to #21 nor would the Skins be 5-6 (that is the selfish part of my feelings). I pray for Sean's recovery, that he makes it through, BUT again, it is in Gods hands.

Finally, again, this is not a Mike Wilbon issue, he comments are spoken from his true life expereinces (upbringing on the south side of Chi Town) - so don't blame him for his comments, he is one of the few writers WHO can write and state his feelings, because he lived it himself!

While a man may try to walk away from his old school crime happy friends, they may not always be willing to let you walk away from them. It makes you sick to believe it, but jealousy can make people do some seriously evil things. Whatever the case may be, I hope he comes out of this coma.

AND KOOL-AIDE YOU SPELLED MY NAME WRONG. YOU OBVIOUSLY COULD GIVE TWO SHI*S IF ST LIVES OR DIES SO WHY ARE YOU IN HERE WASTING YOUR TIME TALKING ABOUT IT WITH US . YOUR LIFE MUST BE REALLY SAD TO HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO. ISN'T RUGRATS ON OR SOME CARTOON YOUR CHILDISH AS* COULD BE WATCHING RIGHT NOW

Hey can we just ignore the trollz, seriously....they will just go away if you dont play with them...

also it is a somber day enough all caps...its the equivalent to yelling

Also Wilbon's entitled to his opinion, and it does come from a some what informed place. I thought he came off crass and should have held tighter until more facts were out, but its really not the issue...just something more for people to yell about.

kool aide4sale
As I stated before, I sleep with a weapon under my bed yet I'm not a thug. I'm paranoid about someone breaking into my place yet I don't have enemies. It's called protecting yourself in violent times regardless of if you're a part of it or not. So go suck on mommy's teet you little ignorant punk.

Don't tar all Dallas fans with the same brush just because some jerk puts up a rude, heartless comment. All true Cowboys fans respect his abilites as a football player and are praying for Sean's recovery. The Cowboys/Redskins rivalry has no place here today; this is a matter of life and death and not a game.

mike wise just did a d'oh!. i don't think writers should be allowed in live settings. he just said "looks like he's going to make it" and russ from CSN said "that would be something new, did you hear something new?"...

CBT & LH - I don't know what everyone's specific problem is with Wilbon is, but mine is directly related to the comment about 'his PR firm telling him about black men'.

The problem is Wilbon doesn't know Taylor. Taylor doesn't talk to anybody, including Wilbon. I assume his PR firm is the redskins' players and coaches, especially CP and Moss. What is his problem with that? I don't understand the comment at all and sounds like he has prior prejudice toward something I can't put my finger on (maybe family member who has disappointed him in the past?).

That comment was insensitive very similar to the tone of Jason Whitlock who have seemed to not claim the black race at all. That's what I hear from that Wilbon comment. We need to bigger and hope for the best. Not being stuck in what your feelings towards someone is before the tragedy. Does he deserve this? I am not the one to judge........

As for Wilbon, he's basically a shock jock these days (why all the yelling on PTI???) Let it go. The only thing that matters right now is Sean Taylor's health. Everything else is irrelevant.

agreed.

btw, mike wise was totally just guessing. there was absolutely nothing he knew that we didn't. he was just assuming that ST would be okay. again a D'oh! moment for another wapo writer in a live setting.

I hope the NFL considers a postponement of the Bills game. I can't imagine being able to summon the intensity and focus to play a game in 6 days. If guys come out just going through the motions (and who could blame them?), they not only would lose the game but more importantly would be at a much greater risk of injury than normal.

I have to say a few things here. First and foremost Our prayers go out to the Taylor family. This is terrible. Second-to JDallen, I have 2 retarded, actually Autistic, sons and they have more sense then koolaide 4 sale. You owe an apology to all retarded folks. 3rd-Kooladie 4sale-you owe an apology to every one. We actually should be saying a prayer for you. You need help.

Joe Gibbs kept speaking about Sean Taylor in the past tense during the press conference. That hit me really hard.

Not only was Taylor a joy to watch on the field, he seemed to have really matured as a person over the past year. His press conference from late Spring was a thing of beauty. This "thug" who had been tossed from games for spitting and fined for illegal, vicious hits was well mannered, articulate, even witty. I realized just how lucky the Redskins were to have Taylor when I watched and listened to him during that conference.

Redskinettes were a below avg team with or without him and what ever happened would always get EXCUSES FROM KOOL-AIDE drinking redskinette fans!! sip sip guzzle gulp guzzle gulp sip farrttt burp sip gulp guzzle BURPPPPPPPPppppppppppp

I hate to say this, but in this day and age, the fact that there have been no updates for the last couple of hours is not a good sign at all. I realize that we need to respect the families privacy, but if there were good news at this point, it would probably have been shared.

"The show must go on." I don't know if a postponement is even possible given the way the schedule is setup.

Part of being a pro, indeed part of being an adult, is being able to focus on the task at hand, even as the world swirls uncontrollably around you. The coaches will have their hands full keeping the team focused.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. Right now, the only issue at hand is Sean Taylor's health.

There is a report or two in Florida that he passed at 2:40pm...I hope that's not the case. Pull through Sean

Posted by: davidbrowne3377 | November 26, 2007 04:04 PM

Davidbrowne3377...wake up. A guy you spoke to saw something about Taylor on a couple stations in Florida? Who is "the guy you spoke to"..do us a favor and any of you that "Heard this or heard that"...shut up. I live in Florida and there are NO media outlets TV/radio/print that reporting that. Let the media do it's work on getting the facts out. The media is certainly not perfect either because we know how they love to speculate but some of you who criticize the media for that come on here and do the same thing with your "I heard this" or "some guy I talked to heard this." You're no more guilty of doing it than the media. So don't say anything at all until you've read confirmed facts by people doing their jobs. Let the journalists work this story for you.

As for the kool aid for sale dude. C'mon people don't pay him any attention for being ignorant. Guy certainly has no heart or feelings considering the situation and has no life if he makes a conscious effort to come on here and be stupid. His posts or lack of heart obviously show what kind of true person he is..and it has no bearing on you or anyone else for that matter. Ignore it.

Get well soon #21. May you recover fully and play football again someday.

I know the Bills game is secondary and don't mean to insinuate otherwise. I'm just concerned about risking injury to players that are focused on their brother and not the game. Half speed play=injuries

I could swear I thought Russ was going to announce his passing coming out of the break...this just feels bad. I'm not optimistic and my wife will tell you I'm an optimist by nature. Just my gut I hope I'm wrong

my take on it is some lunatic fan who got mad about some game, possibly when he spat on pittmann, and he decided to do something about it and he took it way to far. i know sometimes i just want to throw something at the ref, but someone broke into his house many times before, it seems to me like it was a premeditated murder attempt

PTI has started and Wilbon said his first thought is "disturbing". Disturbing on a number of levels, including that Wilbon wasn't surprised.

But Wilbon went on to say that there were reports from all quaters that Taylor was "evolving" into a better person.

Not PTI's finest moment.

For some reason, my "racism" and "cynical corporate greed" alarms are going off with ESPN's coverage of Sean Taylor. Not one live reporter on the scene yet? Going with chipper pre-recorded programming? Just seems like a half-hearted effort, and considerably less coverage than say, OJ, or Rothlesberger getting hit by a car.

First of all, my thoughts and prayers go out to ST and his family. Here's hoping he pulls through and make a full recovery.

Secondly, I read the Chat House transcript and Wilbon's comments didn't strike me as particularly inappropriate. Sure, he was a bit brusque, but that's more-or-less his style. But I certainly didn't take it as an attack on ST.

Obviously its a tragic situation but like i told a friend about Chris Henry from the Bengals...if your going to embrace that "thug life" mantra well then you have to be willing to suffer the consenquences....this is a guy who bargained his way out of two felony counts of brandashing a weapon....the world has a way of evening things out...dont live the thug life if you cant handle the pain.

"Is it possible that Wilbon knows something that we bloggers don't know?"

Of course it's not just possible, it's probable - - as Wilbon time and time again reminds his readers! After all, he's best friends with every GM, every coach, every athlete, every expert in every sport, professional and college. His opionions are fact/truth - disagree with him, and he'll put you in your place. Happens every week on Monday's chat. While other columnists seem to respect your opinion, and show a reasonable degree of sensitivity to the human element, this decency escapes Wilbon. This is not the time for "I told you so!" Mike, this is a time to be reflect and show some sensitivity. Frankly, I'm tired of him telling me how great Chicago is, how lame D.C. and it's fans are. Agreed, he has the freedom to say what he thinks, and I have the freedom to disagree, and for now on, simply ignore.